The Telenovela-Inspired "Cries in Spanish" Meme
Do we all cry in the same language? The creator of the famous "cries in Spanish" meme doesn’t think so. Decades after the Mexican telenovela(soap opera) María la del Barriowas first released, this famous meme took the Internet by storm, taking fans back to Soraya Montenegro’s delightfully dramatic breakdowns.
María la del Barrio
María la del Barrio (Humble Maria) remains one of the most popular telenovelas of all time. It follows the story of a poor, 15-year-old orphan girl who marries one of the richest men in Mexico, Luis Fernando. Its classic rags-to-riches plot wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining without the main antagonist, Soraya Montenegro, who is also in love with Luis Fernando.
Use of Closed Captions
María la del Barrio was often broadcast with closed captioning. This useful tool quickly became the butt of jokes when Internet jokesters started posting closed-caption "fails," such as [makes "I don’t know" sound] and [various Italian hand gestures]. Years after María la del Barrio first aired, someone brought back the [cries in Spanish] closed-caption "fail" and turned it into a meme.
Have You Ever Been So Mad You Cried in Spanish?
What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of telenovelas? Probably the emotional drama! Soraya Montenegro’s hysterical acting is what continues to make the "cries in Spanish" meme so popular. People on the Internet use this meme to mock overreactions to everyday situations. This seems harmless, but it can also be deemed offensive. Telenovelas are often criticized for perpetuating negative stereotypes about Latina women.
Watching telenovelas is a great way to effortlessly practice your Spanish!
Learning Spanish? Check out some of our top tips for learning the language in these articles!
